Chapter 200: Boomerang
“Pei Jie?” Bae Joo-hyun and Zhang Yuanying savored the nickname Jiang Shu used. He had used Chinese, not Korean.
“What does that mean?” Bae Joo-hyun asked.
“Pei is your surname, and Jie means Ouni,” Jiang Shu explained with a chuckle. “Bae Joo-hyun, you have a very strong ‘sisterly’ vibe about you. I think this nickname suits you better.”
“Is that so?” Zhang Yuanying blinked. “Pei Jie… Pei Jie… it sounds better than ‘Oma’.”
“Then you can call me that,” Bae Joo-hyun seized the opportunity to say. Every time Zhang Yuanying called her ‘Mom,’ she felt a sense of disorientation. Even though she knew it was for variety show effect, it was still very awkward.
“Alright,” Zhang Yuanying nodded. “I’ll tell Ouni about it later too.”
The one who least wanted to call Bae Joo-hyun ‘Mom’ was Liu Zhimin. After all, she was Jiang Shu’s ex-girlfriend.
“What do you want to eat?” Jiang Shu asked casually.
“Haidilao!” Zhang Yuanying replied instantly.
“Then Haidilao it is.”
He started the car and drove towards Haidilao.
...
As the recording for aespa’s debut episode concluded, discussions about Jiang Shu’s quartet grew online. Their previous encounter at the supermarket had already sparked quite a debate, and this time, Zhang Yuanying’s support for Liu Zhimin caused even more heated discussion.
As well-known rivals, it was a rather bizarre sight to see Zhang Yuanying leading the cheers for Liu Zhimin at her second debut stage.
Such an absurd event naturally garnered high Topic, and discussions about what kind of variety show this was steadily gained popularity.
The We Became a Family production team also took the opportunity to release a program preview, beginning their promotional work.
When the public learned about the content of the variety show, they were all stunned.
It wasn’t the content of the show that shocked them; with variety shows like We Got Married, which simulated married life, a simulated family wasn’t so difficult to accept.
What shocked them was the cast. All the family members were heavy hitters.
The father, Jiang Shu, President of DM Entertainment, a godfather figure in girl groups, with a profound influence on K-pop girl groups, and a leading figure in the current K-pop girl group era.
The mother, Bae Joo-hyun, leader of the popular group Red Velvet, one of the four divine beauties of the second-generation girl groups, and currently the only active female artist nearing thirty at twenty-eight years old.
The eldest daughter, Liu Zhimin, former leader of IVE, current leader of aespa, one of the four divine beauties of the second-generation girl groups, a strong contender for the number one female idol of the second generation, and one of the two most popular female artists currently.
The youngest daughter, Zhang Yuanying, former member of IVE, current center of IZONE, one of the four divine beauties of the second-generation girl groups, a strong contender for the number one female idol of the second generation, and also one of the most popular female artists alongside Liu Zhimin.
Even the resident guests of the observation panel were all heavyweights.
The leader of the observation panel, Liu Zaishi, a pillar of the entertainment industry, a top-tier entertainment industry mogul.
Member Kim Hee-cheul, a well-known male artist from S.M. Entertainment, currently a major figure in the entertainment industry.
Member Bae Suzy, a well-known female artist from JYP Entertainment, and currently the most successful case of an idol transitioning into an actress, arguably without equal.
It was a complete cast of “villains.”
Leaving aside everything else, just the lineup of performing members alone was enough to maximize the Topic.
The DM Entertainment Twin Stars already had high Topic, and this time they appeared as sisters, with Jiang Shu also present.
The 'Light Giant' meme created by Zhang Yuanying and Jiang Shu in the previous Running Man episode is still active in K-pop, and Liu Yuan’s tone when speaking to Jiang Shu is also used by many fans as evidence of their good relationship with their President.
This time, the President has gone from being a patriarch to a “biological father,” which should be very interesting.
The mother, Bae Joo-hyun, was relatively the least-noticed one. Although she and Liu Yuan were both listed as one of the four divine beauties of the second-generation girl groups, compared to the explosively popular Twin Stars, Bae Joo-hyun’s popularity was still somewhat lacking.
The official broadcast date for We Became a Family was set for November 5th. Originally, the production team intended to set it for November 1st, but Jiang Shu asked them to push it to after the 3rd.
The production team was puzzled, but it was only a difference of three or four days, so they didn't mind. Although this variety show was jointly produced with SBS, SBS was not strict about broadcast times. There were too many popular artists, and as a television station focused on making money, so many popular artists meant making money. Giving them great convenience for the sake of money was not an issue, was it?
The TV station had no objection to Jiang Shu’s request and directly changed it to November 5th.
As for why it had to be changed to after the 3rd, it was because...
At 8 PM Seoul time on November 3rd, the second semi-final match of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, SKT vs. G2, officially began.
The two sides fought four games, ending at 11:23 PM Seoul time.
After the defeat at Bird's Nest in S7 and the low point of not making it into the World Championship in S8, SKT, who had re-entered the S-tier semifinals after a year, intended to rebuild their dynasty, but lost to the rising European star G2 with a score of one to three in the semifinals.
Countless fans watched this scene in disbelief, the image frozen on the great demon king, who was once omnipotent, shaking his hands.
Unbeknownst to them, the great demon king of League of Legends had already grown old.
For SKT fans, it was a sad moment, but for others, especially those who loved both League of Legends and IU, it was good news.
The moment for gloating had arrived!
Originally, Kim Hyun-a’s fans used the SKT vs. G2 match to mock IU’s overestimation of herself in challenging Kim Hyun-a. Who would have thought that IU actually won against Kim Hyun-a, and G2 also won against SKT?
Moreover, during his first live broadcast, Jiang Shu sharply commented that there were major problems with the SKT team and that they might not be able to overcome G2 and enter the finals. At the time, he was heavily criticized, and SKT fans even sent more than one protest truck. And now...
Vindication!
Complete vindication!
SKT fans were thoroughly vindicated, and the internet was flooded with screenshots from Jiang Shu’s live broadcast.
“SKT might not actually win against G2.”
Jiang Shu was already popular in the Korean esports scene, and now his popularity spread to the global esports scene. This meme was also used by countless team fans to mock SKT fans.
The most audacious part was that G2 Esports’ official account posted on Twitter using Jiang Shu’s live broadcast image, with the caption:
“Thank you for your support, President Jiang. Facts prove G2 > SKT.”
When it comes to post-match gloating, who can beat G2?
SKT fans were already upset about losing the match, and now being mocked made them want to smash their phones every time they saw the internet.
Amidst a triumphant online celebration, Jiang Shu’s name became increasingly prominent in the esports scene. Coinciding with the impending broadcast of We Became a Family, this variety show starring Jiang Shu also gained immense traffic.
Jiang Shu gained a large wave of esports fans.